Sacred Vocabulary in Linguistic Consciousness of the Kazakh Youth

Abstract

Linguistically, sacred vocabulary refers to such units that have a sacred concept of semantic space in a language. The linguistic consciousness manifest in such sacred vocabulary portrays how a nation, group or individual perceives the whole world; it identifies the specifics of cognitive consciousness; and analyzes the relationship between language and culture. This study aimed to psycho-linguistically determine the image in modern linguistic consciousness of ethnocultural sacral units such as cradle, bow, and spindle, which connect the past with today’s generation spiritually, culturally, and materially. A qualitative research design assisted by free associative practice was used to determine the perception of the sacred vocabulary in the Kazakh ethnic groups. The study sample comprised 27 students of second year pursuing Kazakh group of specialties like Translation Studies and Foreign philology. An open-ended questionnaire was designed to collect data related to external manifestations of linguistic consciousness, and what associations in the present they make of words like cradle, bow, spindle with the same associations. The data was analyzed through analysis methods such as accumulation, analysis, generalization, induction, deduction, and grouping to understand the underlying intercultural manifestations. The results proved the manifestations of sacral vocabulary in the linguistic consciousness of modern youth through free associative practices. It was revealed that sacred units were preserved in the youth consciousness with information related to the life, traditions and customs of the people. The results imply that it is important to preserve the cultural heritage through language and convey the meaning of sacred things across generations. The study also proved the significance of using associative practices to identify images in the linguistic consciousness and understand the inextricable unity of a language.